FACT AND FICTION: THE HISTORY OF BEARDS

by RenSup Admin

Posted on Sep 7, 2016

Men have worn beards for time
immemorial, after all, we are mammals and
some of us are more hirsute than others.What is the history of beards and what are some of the myths and truths
about bearded men throughout history?

The popularity of beards has
ebbed and flowed depending on styles and attitudes.Beards
in Ancient Egypt were worn as a status symbol.Rich and powerful often weaved gold thread into their beards and dyed
them different colors.

The Greeks and the ancient
Mesopotamians relied on oils, tongs, and ringlets to accentuate their
beards.As a form of disgrace, Spartans
would shave a portion of a coward’s beard, this way their cowardice would not
go unnoticed.In the East, Indians grew
long beards to signify wisdom and even the Chinese were known to grow beards –
for example General Guanyu of the Shu during the Three Kingdoms period is
famous for his beard.Today, beards adorn men from all walks of life.Yet it seems hipsters have tried and sought
to make beard growing and maintenance their own province.

Ned Beauman of the Guardian
points out that ‘peak beard’ was reached in either 2013 or 2014.However, that depends on who you talk to as
the newspaper has reported both dates.Despite the fact we are beyond the point of ‘peak beard’, legions of
bearded men continue to walk among us.

One the theory behind the
oscillating popularity of beards throughout history is linked to dating and
marriage.As the theory goes, men tend
to flaunt their hirsuteness when the dating market is better; but when the
ideal mate is not readily available, men tend to opt for a clean shaven
appearance.Presumably, because this makes women feel safer.

Oldstone-Moore postulates something
along the same lines.Noting beards are symbolic of the ‘mutability and
variety of ideas of manhood within a given period, and across time.’ Some of these ‘ideas of manhood’ depend on
historical circumstances.As the author
points out the Enlightenment Court of King Louis XIV of France shed their
facial accoutrements,
compare this to the Renaissance when beards were in vogue.However, this is just an observation, which
unfortunately are resplendent throughout the entire history of beards.As such, we are left with many myths and very
few facts.

One such ‘fact’ dates back to
Sumerian times as the reason for their notable beards was the lack of proper
shaving utensils.Instead of dealing
with nicks, cuts, and even death to shave, nobles grew their beards to
tremendous lengths, all in a race to stand out from their peers.

Fast forward 5,500 years and
having a beard is no longer a matter of life or death, it is rather about personal
aesthetic – which is often skewed by current events.Such is the connection over the history of
beards between facial hair and fashion.Whilst beards and mustaches were in vogue during the Edwardian period,
the post-World War I generation opted to be beardless.In a 1925 report from the Chicago Tribune, one of the young man interviewed told
the reporter ‘everybody wants to look young and keep looking young’ as such the
Jazz Age was as much about turning a page on the Edwardian period as it was
about enjoying youth.After all, the
bloodiest war in human history to date had just ended and many young men were
just happy to be alive.

As such beards are indicative of the times we are living in.Before Abraham Lincoln, no U.S. president had a beard – though John Quincy Adams
had an amazing set of sideburns, even before they were given the name.After
President Lincoln, every president from Ulysses
S. Grant to Theodore Roosevelt, with the exception of William McKinley sported
facial hair.

This brings us back to the
sideburn, never in the history of beards has one man had such an impact.In this case,
General Ambrose Burnside who was noted for the manner in which he kept his
facial hair – joining the strips from the sides of his ears to his mustache.

Back to hipsters and why they
grow beards.According to researchers at
the University of Western Australia, the
reason is pressure to stand out from other men.By growing a beard they are calling attention to themselves.The research was recently published in the
Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior and is based on the idea that male
primates (that includes humans) in big societies resort to more and more
outlandish means to display their sexual prowess.

Whether you believe fashion,
technology, or the primal urge to mate is behind the growing or shearing of beards; taking a look at the
history of beards offers us some insight into how social orders develop and
evolve over time.